Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was strongly criticized Wednesday after promoting a historically and biblically false, antisemitic claim while declaring antisemitism is wrong.
As the House voted on an antisemitism bill that would require the U.S. Dept. of Education to utilize a certain definition of antisemitism when enforcing anti-discrimination laws, the far-right Christian nationalist congresswoman made her false claims on social media.
“Antisemitism is wrong, but I will not be voting for the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 (H.R. 6090) today that could convict Christians of antisemitism for believing the Gospel that says Jesus was handed over to Herod to be crucified by the Jews,” Greene tweeted.
The definition of antisemitism the House bill wants to codify was created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
Congresswoman Greene highlighted this specific text which she said she opposes: “Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.”
What Greene is promoting is called “Jewish deicide,” the false and antisemitic claim that Jews killed Jesus Christ. Some who adhere to that false belief also believe all Jews throughout time, including in the present day, are responsible for Christ’s crucification.
Greene has a history of promoting antisemitism, including comparing mask mandates during the coronavirus pandemic to “gas chambers in Nazi Germany.”
Political commentator John Fugelsang set the record straight:
“If only you could read,” lamented Rabbi Dr. Mark Goldfeder, Esq., CEO and Director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center. The Antisemitism Awareness Act “could not convict anyone for believing anything, even this historical and biblical inaccuracy. It only comes into play if there is unlawful discrimination based on this belief that targets a Jewish person. Do you understand that distinction @RepMTG ?”
“Not surprising,” declared Jacob N. Kornbluh, the senior political reporter at The Forward, formerly the Jewish Daily Forward. “Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has been accused in the past of making antisemitic remarks — including her suggestion that a Jewish-funded space laser had sparked wildfires in California in 2018, voted against the GOP-led Antisemitism Awareness Act.”
Jewish Telegraphic Agency Washington Bureau Chief Ron Kampeas, an award-winning journalist, took a deeper dive into Greene’s remarks.
“Ok leave aside the snark. The obvious antisemitism is in saying ‘the Jews’ crucified Jesus when even according to the text she believes in it was a few leaders in a subset of a contemporary Jewish community. It is collective blame, the most obvious of bigotries.”
“The text she presumably predicates her case on, the New Testament,” he notes, “was when it was collated a political document at a time when Christians and Jews were competing for adherents and when it would have been plainly dangerous to blame Rome for the murder of God.”
“Yes,” Kampeas continues, “that take is obviously one that a fundamentalist would not embrace, but it is the objective and historical take, and *should* be available to Jews (and others!) as a means of explaining why Christian antisemitism exists, and why it is harmful.”
CNN’s Edward-Isaac Dovere also slammed Greene, saying she “is standing up for continuing to talk about Jews being responsible for the killing of Jesus. (John & Matthew refer to some Jews handing over Jesus to Pilate,not Herod. But also: many, including Pope Benedict, have called blaming Jews a misinterpretation)”
Reprinted with permission from Alternet.
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House Will Vote To Condemn Trump’s Racism And Xenophobia
Republicans will soon be forced to go on the record as to whether or not they stand behind Trump’s racist attacks on four Democratic congresswomen.
A proposed House resolution to condemn Trump’s remarks was announced in a statement Monday from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi said that Trump “went beyond his own low standards” when he called Sunday for four congresswomen of color — all of whom are U.S. citizens — to “go back” to other countries. Trump later doubled down on his comments, refusing to back off even when told white supremacists were applauding him.
“The House cannot allow the President’s characterization of immigrants to our country to stand,” Pelosi said. “Our Republican colleagues must join us in condemning the President’s xenophobic tweets.”
Pelosi also noted that Democrats “will continue to forcefully respond to these disgusting attacks.”
Pelosi also included this quote from former President Ronald Reagan praising immigration: “If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.”
While some Republicans have offered tepid criticism of Trump’s attack, others, like Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) made excuses for him.
Despite the clear racism of Trump’s remarks, the Maryland Republican insisted in a radio interview on Monday that it was not racist.
The House resolution will force Trump’s party to decide how much more of his bigotry they’re willing to tolerate in exchange for political power.
Published with permission of The American Independent.